This project will provide HIV testing kits to rural clinics in Anambra State and also sensitize pregnant women on the need to get tested for HIV, in order to protect their children and prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. According to UNAIDS, Nigeria has the highest number of HIV positive babies globally, with 1 in 7 infants testing positive, which is depressing as Nigeria also accounts for the second highest child mortality rate in the world.
New cases of HIV infections still occur during pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding. According to UNICEF, a child was infected with HIV every 2 minutes in 2020 and most new HIV infections in children and adolescents occur in sub-Saharan Africa, of which Nigeria is among. Globally, children under 15 years account for about 5% of all people living with HIV, 10% of new HIV infections and 15% of AIDS-related deaths. In 2021, about 86,000 children under 15 years died of AIDS-related causes globally.
As an organization dedicated to preventing new HIV infections and ending AIDS, we will provide HIV testing kits to rural clinics in Anambra State, in order to make sure that pregnant women receives HIV testing services from the inception of pregnancy till delivery. We also hope to give out mosquito nets and other essential materials during our visit, while working with HIV centers in the state to support and help children infected with HIV, to adhere to their treatment.
This will help to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, reducing the number of new HIV infections recorded, especially among children in Anambra State, Nigeria and the world at large.
